Aspyrian - Pizza Express Dean Street, March 2026

 

Robin Porter

Aspyrian

Robin Porter  - saxophone
Jack Gillen - guitar
Matt Parkinson - drums

Pizza Express Dean Street, Soho, London
31st March 2026

London-based contemporary jazz trio Aspyrian returns with their third release, Live at The Jazz Glad Festival – a raw document of the band’s electrifying live performance at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow in November 2024. Recorded during an 11-date run supported by the Help Musicians Next Level Award, the album features five original compositions that showcase Aspyrian’s signature balance of bold improvisation and deep musical chemistry.

Jack Gillen 

An unplanned recording, Live at The Jazz Glad Festival captures the trio in full flight – spontaneous, unfiltered, and emotionally present. Prioritising energy and interplay over polish, the recording embraces the ensemble’s risk-taking spirit, complete with its brief missteps, which only serve to highlight the authenticity of the performance.

Matt Parkinson

Live at The Jazz Glad Festival marks the end of a transformative chapter in Aspyrian’s evolution. It captures a band confident in its identity, forged through over a decade of shared experience and musical dialogue. With this release, Aspyrian further cements their place in the UK jazz scene – unafraid to be vulnerable, brave enough to take risks, and committed to the moment above all else. 

Aspyrian - The Pheasantry (Pizza Express Chelsea)

Aspyrian
Robin Porter
Jack Gillen
Matt Parkinson
https://aspyrianmusic.bandcamp.com/music

14th June 2023
The Pheasantry (Pizza Express Chelsea)

to explore (vol. 1)’ is the debut album from London-based trio, ‘Aspyrian’, featuring long-standing friends and collaborators Robin Porter on tenor and soprano saxophone, Jack Gillen on guitar and Matt Parkinson on drums. The album title is the translation of the band name – an old English word – and reflects the band’s approach to playing and creating music together. Whilst this particular ensemble only formed in 2021, the relationship that binds these three musicians has been nurtured in a range of other musical contexts since they met at Leeds Conservatoire over ten years ago. The result is a shared musical language that allows the trio to interact on a profound level.

All seven tracks on the album are original compositions – three written by Robin and four by Matt – which collectively exhibit a broad range of styles. Make no mistake however, this album has a cohesive sound that is enchantingly original, devoid of clichés and true to the band’s shared experiences.

This debut album from the band – whilst still paying homage to a growing tradition of sax, guitar, and drums line-up – is a bold and individual record that firmly places the band’s sound in the present day. ‘Aspyrian’ are immensely grateful and honoured to have been awarded the Help Musicians UK Record/Release Fund in 2022, which has not only supported the recording/manufacturing costs but also provided valuable business advice sessions to help the group better understand the release process.